2012.04.24

Page 1

Don’t go. Don’t go. Just don’t. Go. Seriously. Dean Lori Berquam revealed a video speaking out against Mifflin that went viral and sent students into a fury. NEWS | 2

THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1969 Volume XLIII, Issue 130

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

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Chompin’ down with Bucky Students gather on Bascom Hill Monday morning to get free breakfast sponsored by Fresh Madison Market as part of the All Campus Party. Events will continue throughout the week, with many opportunities for Badgers to gain free giveaways and prizes. Olivia Thompson-Davies The Badger Herald

MCSC hits roadblock SSFC continues hold on group’s funds with policy violation, could bar future eligibility Jackie Allen Campus Life Editor

Obama zones in on student debt Jacob Kaczmarowski Herald Contributor With federal student loan interest rates set to double in July, President Barack Obama is urging Congress to draft legislation to freeze them. On July 1, student loan interest rates will increase from 3.4 percent to 6.4 percent, according to a White House report. This increase would affect 7.4 million students nationally, 163,427 of which are Wisconsin college students. A statement from the White House said Obama is calling on Congress to put forward legislation to stop interest rates from doubling. The statement said tuition and fees measured

in constant dollars have more than doubled throughout the past two decades, and 2010 graduates who took out loans left college owing an average of more than $25,000. White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said during a press call Monday that Obama is working with Congress to keep interest rates down and spare working Americans this added cost. Earnest said if the interest rates stay the same, the estimated cost to taxpayers would be $6 billion and would add, on average, $968 per borrower over the life of a loan. Cecilia Muñoz, director of the Domestic Policy Council, said the president is asking

Congress to reward students’ hard work and responsibility. “By keeping interest rates on student loans low, more Americans can get a fair shot at an affordable college education, the skills they need to find a good job and a clear path to the middle class,” Muñoz said. She added if we are going to be on the strongest possible economic footing, the country has to make sure college education is affordable. Michael Hintze, the Wisconsin State Coordinator for Tea Party Patriots, said Obama’s tactics for addressing student debt did not quite

DEBT, page 2

Student loan savings Estimated savings for the State of Wisconsin if Subsidized Stafford Loan interest rates are kept at their current level.

$158,197,336 Total savings statewide among all 163,427 borrowers

$968 Savings per borrower SOURCE: White House press release

Members of the University of Wisconsin student government voted to support a measure calling four alleged violations by the Multicultural Student Coalition intentional. The Student Services Finance Committee also approved a 52-week freeze on the organization’s budget. Chair Sarah Neibart froze the organization’s budget after learning from UW administrators of the four violations of the same Wisconsin and UW purchasing policy, as well as a student government law. The policy states groups must abide by university and state policies, are responsible for submitting contracts three weeks prior to purchasing a program, must submit a budget alteration for SSFC and understand budgets may require documentation, Neibart said during the meeting. She added MCSC violated each of these rules in the process of asking for a budget alteration for training from Michael Franklin, an MCSC adviser who provides training to the organization. When MCSC was denied the budget alteration in October, it went forward with the training, Neibart said. They also held a training session in December without filing the proper paperwork, then went directly to Vice Chancellor for Administration Darrell Bazzell for funding, rather than SSFC. According to Neibart, the contracts covering the costs for

County continues battle on opiates City Hall Editor City officials continued their efforts to curb Madison’s heroin epidemic at the source Monday, hosting a follow-up on a task force summit held earlier this year. Monday’s summit detailed the progress Dane County Executive Joe Parisi and Madison Mayor Paul Soglin have made in working with the Safe Communities Initiative to give people options to prevent further narcotics abuse. Parisi and Soglin joined with representatives from the city and the Dane County Sheriff’s Office to discuss improvements to the system

since the last summit. Dane County Sheriff David Mahoney said the problem stems largely from heroin being brought into the community from a variety of locations outside the city. “Opiate addiction affects everyone,” Parisi said. “People drive into Madison from rural areas to get heroin and shoot up.” At the summit held in January, Soglin and Parisi said poison-related deaths, the majority of which are drug overdoses, are the number one cause of death in the county. Safe Communities Executive Director Cheryl

OPIATES, page 2

Sean Kirkby State Politics Editor With a primary for the recall elections only two weeks away, some Republican legislators are calling for party faithfuls to vote in Democratic primaries to deceptively influence the elections. Rep. Robin Vos, R-Burlington, said while he is not working to coordinate cross-over voting efforts, where a Republican may vote for a Democrat in the election or vice versa, voters have frequently Zhao Lim The Badger Herald

Dane County Executive Joe Parisi is still pushing the opiate task force as one of the county’s main priorities, arguing people from rural areas come to Madison to purchase and abuse heroin. The county has recently increased the number of available MedDrop boxes.

Injuries sustained in Lake Street beating Leah Linscheid City Life Editor NORTH LAKE STREET BATTERY An out-of-state college student visiting Madison over the weekend found himself victim to a serious battery Saturday morning, according to a Madison Police Department report. The report said the

20-year-old was found bleeding near North Lake Street and Langdon Street. He was transported to a local hospital and treated for a broken nose and other non-life-threatening head injuries. Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said the incident happened outside of the Kollege Klub bar, where the victim was

MCSC, page 3

GOP promotes crossover voting

Parisi, Soglin evaluate task force’s progress, see leveling off of heroin overdoses, presence Adrianna Viswanatha

Franklin total about $13,000 throughout the past year and a half. She added they are currently unsure whether the contracts will ultimately be funded because they are still being processed and UW may still be held liable for them. The decision to rule the violations intentional puts more pressure on the ongoing debate on MCSC’s funding eligibility by the Associated Students of Madison, since part of the requirements to meet eligibility include being in accordance with the law, Neibart said. Following open forum, during which MCSC members were not present because of a meeting conflict, multiple SSFC members said they did not see any way the moves were not intentional. “This is intentional as far as I can tell,” SSFC Vice Chair Chase Wilson said. “It’s incredibly mind-boggling that anyone would even try to have contracts approved for services that happened six months ago with money that was not there without going through any of the normal processes at all.” SSFC Rep. David Vines, who said earlier he was concerned about voting on the motion ruling the violations intentional without first hearing from MCSC representatives, asked members multiple questions about their steps in meeting with ASM professional staff to approve the contracts. MCSC member Cecilia León, who arrived at the SSFC meeting more than an

apparently attacked without motivation. “This is troubling because from my understanding, the victim was minding his own business when the suspects got out of an SUV and attacked without provocation,” Verveer said. “The attack seems very random and scary.” According to MPD

spokesperson Joel DeSpain, a witness of the incident said he heard a loud noise and watched two men enter a black SUV before he found the victim. He described one man as being black with a shaved head and a button-down plaid shirt. It is unknown if the two men caused the victim’s injuries.

© 2012 BADGER HERALD

DeSpain said the witness found broken bottles near the victim, but he noted glass shards were not found on the victim’s body. Medical staff also said the victim’s injuries suggest he was either punched or kicked, according to DeSpain.

CRIME IN BRIEF, page 2

CROSSOVER, page 3

INSIDE Who’s No. 2? Jacob Pedersen is the Badgers’ top tight end, but a hose of players are competing for a spot alongside him.

SPORTS | 8

Grading recall candidates Columnist John Waters reviews the three main candidates performance this week.

OPINION | ONLINE


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2012.04.24 by The Badger Herald - Issuu